Sparks draft Thomas

The former Georgia center was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks with the 12th pick in Saturday's WNBA draft.

Now, the 6-foot-5 Buford native hopes to take her place alongside Lisa Leslie - the Sparks' center since the WNBA began eight years ago and someone that Thomas has admired for many years.

"She's most definitely someone that I've looked up to and I got to play against her in the (WBCA college) all-star game," said Thomas, who watched the draft from her apartment in Athens, surrounded by family, teammates and friends. "Whether I play behind her or beside her, I'm just looking forward to the opportunity to play with a great player like that."

WNBA draft: Taurasi top pick

A first-team All-SEC selection her senior year, Thomas is joining one of the powerhouses of the WNBA. After capturing back-to-back WNBA championships in 2001 and 2002, the Sparks, coached by former Los Angeles Lakers guard Michael Cooper, lost to Detroit in three games in the finals last season.

"They're one of the best teams in the league and I'm just hoping I can come in and contribute and maybe make them a little better," she said.

As expected, former Connecticut star Diana Taurasi went to Phoenix with the first pick in the draft, followed by Duke's Alana Beard, who was drafted by Washington.

Thomas had to wait and watch ESPN's coverage for nearly an hour to hear her name called. She also had to watch as several other low-post players were selected in front of her.

"I was getting kind of nervous and sweating bullets after the ninth and 10th picks," Thomas said. "But when my name was called at No. 12, everybody screamed and I cried."

Now, Thomas must hurry up and get packed because rookie orientation starts on Thursday and training camp begins a few days later. The Sparks play their first preseason game on May 8 and open their season on May 22 in Seattle.

"It's all happening really fast, which is exciting, but there's a lot to do in a short period of time," she said. As for finishing up her final semester of college, Thomas said she wasn't entirely sure how all that was going to work out.

"I don't know what I'm going to do about my exams, but I'll figure something out."

In the meantime, Thomas had to get back to more pressing matters Saturday afternoon, like talking with Sparks officials and watching the Georgia football team's G-Day game on television.